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As every player should be aware of, D&D is a roleplaying game and as such each player is expected to play his/her character based initially on the data as shown on his/her character sheet and subsequently on the knowledge gained by his character as the campaign's story line progress. While I look forward to each player gaining levels and acquiring new items and stuff there is nothing I'd be more meticulous in observing than whether or not a player properly roleplays his/her character. Therefore, I strongly discourage players from metagaming in my game events.

Metagaming is committed by a player when that player uses out-of-character information to affect the decision of his character, who as a different person should have no knowledge of that information, in-game.

The following paragraph is an example of metagaming.

'Player A' has a human rouge character and used that character to play an adventure 'module 1'. In a particular 'encounter 1' of that adventure his rogue character was able to notice something amiss in, say, a corridor, by successfully beating a DC using his passive perception check and eventually led him to detect a trap. Now, if 'player A' has a another character, an elven fighter, and plays the same adventure 'module 1', the player will be doubted by the DM in roleplaying properly if 'player A', out of the blues, decides to have his character make an active perception check on that same corridor at 'encounter 1' when in the first place his elven fighter character did not even make a successful passive perception check. This behaviour shown by 'player A' will lead the DM and other players to suspect that 'player A' is using out-of-character information (acquired from playing his human rogue character) for the betterment of his other character, the elven fighter. This decision of 'player A' and would-be action of his elven character is not justifiable especially when 'player A' cannot support his claim that his elven character needs to make a perception check at that particular instant. The DM can resolve this problem by expalaining it as a case of metagaming and thus not allow the elven character to make an active perception check.

Another example of metagaming is when a player whose character is separated from his main adventuring group listens to the story of the DM (since the gaming group is seated around a communal table) as the DM narrates to the players of the main adventuring group and uses that information later on to affect the decision of his character.

Roleplaying properly is a talent possessed naturally not by all players. While some players may not be aware that the actions of their characters are already becoming an aspect of metagaming other players intentionally metagame and try to hide it as what it truly is by making up excuses for their characters. In any case, the DM should point this out once detected and warn the player about it lest he/she suffer a penalty on his/her character.

Mar 20, 2010 -- 12:05PM, aRCHwIZ1106 wrote:

Here is my number 09235995558 hope you contact me as soon as possible, I'm kinda drunk right now runninng old school stuff thanks!!

Hi Archwiz,

I may not have played 3 or 3.5 ed PnP (only online games like Neverwinter Nights) but I could say that in every edition of D&D there are parts that I like and don't like. The boxed sets (basic, expert,companion,master,immortals) have simple rules but lack character customization while 4th ed has too much rules but has a lot of options for making your character unique amongst party members.

If there is one reason why I chose to play 4th ed despite it complexity it is simply because I wanted to be up-to-date with the new release and be on par with the Forgotten Relams novels I read (which I believe the authors are guided by the 4th ed rules).

I won't be the one to say that you will like playing 4th ed - that is all up to you. I will hear whatever comments you have about it and respect your decision to whether join and continue the campaign with us. But it will be my job as DM to make the game interesting and challenging enough for the players.

BTW, I also replied to the other email you sent me and saved your number. Thanks!